Here is a look at what is making news around the country today.
Today’s national news includes Australia needing to develop processing capabilities that would hedge against China’s dominant position over minerals crucial to clean energy, Virgin Australia launching a new international connection from Gold Coast to Bali, South Australians being subjected to tougher vaping and smoking laws, and Australia’s adult literacy being hidden by lack of data.
Business
Australia to boost critical minerals processing
Australia needs to develop processing capabilities that would hedge against China’s dominant position over minerals crucial to clean energy and defence technologies, resources minister Madeleine King said. Ms King said the concentration of the critical minerals market in China posed a strategic challenge to Australia. China is a large producer of rare earths and has near complete control over the refining processes needed to make the minerals useful, The Guardian has reported.
Travel
Virgin Australia launches Gold Coast to Bali service
Virgin Australia has launched a new international connection from Gold Coast to Bali, Airline Network News and Analysis reported. The new route will operate daily during peak periods, providing up to 2,200 seats between the Gold Coast and Bali each week, connecting the two cities directly for the first time. “This is another significant step in our airport’s recovery, with our international connections now one step closer to pre-Covid levels, and more new services on the horizon,” the airline said.
https://www.anna.aero/2023/04/13/virgin-australia-launches-service-from-gold-coast-to-bali/
Education
Australia’s adult literacy being hidden by lack of data
Millions of adult Australians are hiding the fact they cannot read recipes or bus timetables, apply for a driver’s licence or financial support, or sign rental agreements without supervision, The Guardian has reported. The federal government has conceded it does not know how many Australians lack these basic skills. The last comprehensive study, conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2012, put the figure at 3 million people, but no up-to-date data exists. Literacy campaigners have warned the figure could now be much higher, especially in Tasmania. In 2012, the OECD found one in two adults in the state had a literacy level below three. That means they lacked the basic skills required to understand and use information from newspapers, books or magazines.
Lifestyle
Tougher vaping laws in SA
South Australians will soon be subject to tougher vaping and smoking laws as the state government ramps up efforts to curb cigarette and e-cigarette use, News.com.au reported. It will soon be illegal to smoke or vape in more public places including around schools, shopping centres, certain buildings, beaches and sporting grounds. The new laws and an incentive program for smokers are aimed at reducing the proportion of the state’s smokers who use tobacco daily from 9.8 per cent in 2021 to 6 per cent in 2027. E-cigarette use among people aged 15 to 29 increased from 1.1 per cent in 2017 to 7.8 per cent in 2022, according to Mr Picton.
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